Luigi Mangione will not face death penalty over US healthcare CEO killing
The 27-year-old has pleaded not guilty to the murder of CEO Brian Thompson
Luigi Mangione has avoided the death penalty following the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
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A federal judge has ruled that if convicted of killing the UnitedHealthcare CEO, Mangione will not face the death penalty, after the 27-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges against him.
It comes after Judge Margaret Garnett left in place stalking charges that carry a maximum punishment of life in prison.
Mangione still faces nine counts in a case brought by New York state prosecutors, including second-degree murder and various weapons charges.
He pleaded not guilty in this case, too.
CEO Brian Thompson, 50, was killed on December 4, 2024, on the streets of New York as he walked outside a hotel for his company's annual investor conference.
Jury selection in the federal case is scheduled to begin on September 8. The state trial has not been scheduled yet. On Wednesday, the Manhattan district attorney's office sent a letter urging the judge in that case to set a July 1 trial date.
Surveillance video showed a masked gunman shooting him from behind. Police say "delay", "deny" and "depose" were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.
Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, was arrested five days later at a McDonald's in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles west of Manhattan.
Following through on US President Trump's campaign promise vigorously to pursue capital punishment, Attorney General Pam Bondi ordered Manhattan federal prosecutors last April to seek the death penalty against Mangione.
It was the first time the Justice Department was seeking to bring the death penalty in Mr Trump's second term. He returned to office a year ago with a vow to resume federal executions after they were halted under his predecessor, Joe Biden.
Judge Garnett, a Biden appointee, ruled after a flurry of court filings in the prosecution and defence in recent months. She held oral arguments on the matter earlier this month.